THE GLENCOE LITERATURE LIBRARY
Study Guide
for
A Midsummer
Night’s Dream
by William Shakespeare
A
i
Meet William Shakespeare
He was not of an age, but for all time.
—Ben Jonson, poet and contemporary
of Shakespeare
Copyright © by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
L
ittle is known about William Shakespeare,
generally acknowledged as the greatest playwright of all time. In some ways, the lack of information is ironically fitting. Whereas we can draw
on personal history to understand and explain the
work of most writers, in the case of Shakespeare,
we must rely primarily on his work. His command
of comedy and tragedy, his ability to depict the
range of human character, and his profound
insights into human nature add clues to the few
facts that are known about his life.
William Shakespeare was born in April 1564
in the English town of Stratford-upon-Avon. The
son of John Shakespeare, a successful glovemaker
and public official, and Mary Arden, the daughter
of a gentleman, William was the oldest surviving
sibling of eight children.
Shakespeare probably attended the local
grammar school and studied Latin. His writings
indicate that he was familiar with classical
A Midsummer Night’s Dream Study Guide
writers such as Ovid (the source for the story of
Pyramus and Thisbe, the play-within-a-play in
A Midsummer Night’s Dream). Throughout
Shakespeare’s childhood, companies of touring
actors visited Stratford. Although there is no evidence to prove that Shakespeare ever saw these
actors perform, most scholars agree that he
probably did.
In 1582, at the age of 18, Shakespeare married Anne Hathaway, the daughter of a farmer.
The couple had become parents of two daughters
and a son by 1585. Sometime in the next eight
years, Shakespeare left his family in Stratford and
moved to London to pursue a career in the theater. Records show that by 1592, he had become a
successful actor and playwright in that city.
Although an outbreak of plague forced the
London theaters to close in 1592, Shakespeare
continued to write, producing the long narrative
poem Venus and Adonis and a number of comedies.
By 1594 the plague was less of a threat, and theaters reopened. Shakespeare had joined a famous
acting group called the Lord Chamberlain’s Men,
so named for their patron, or supporter, a high official in the court of Queen Elizabeth I. One of the
first plays Shakespeare wrote for this company was
Romeo and Juliet. In 1598 Shakespeare became part
owner of a major new theater, the Globe.
For more than a decade, Shakespeare produced a steady stream of works, both tragedies and
comedies, which were performed at the Globe,
the royal court, and other London theaters.
However, shortly after the Globe was destroyed by
fire in 1613, he retired and returned to Stratford.
Fairly wealthy from the sales of his plays and
from his shares in both the acting company and
the Globe, Shakespeare was able to buy a large
house and an impressive amount of property. He
died in Stratford in 1616. Seven years later the
first collection of his plays was published.
9
Introducing the Play
The opening scene of A Midsummer Night’s
Dream leads the audience to expect an ordinary
comedy plot.
—René Girard, “Myth and Ritual in Shakespeare:
A Midsummer Night’s Dream”
But A Midsummer Night’s Dream does not
always do exactly what we might expect, and in
this way it keeps its audience guessing . . .
—Catherine Belsey, “A Midsummer Night’s Dream:
A Modern Perspective”
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THE TIME AND PLACE
Drama was tremendously popular during
Shakespeare’s lifetime. The queen herself,
Elizabeth I, loved to watch plays—including
many by Shakespeare—in her court. Companies
of actors traveled throughout England, performing
for eager audiences. Over a short period of time,
dramatic literature developed rapidly, from the
slapstick plays popular during Shakespeare’s youth
to the complex dramas written by Shakespeare
and his contemporaries.
Yet not everyone in late sixteenth- and early
seventeenth-century England loved plays and
acting. Theater owners tried to avoid city authorities, many of whom disapproved of the theater
because it drew large crowds, creating the potential for crime, the possible spread of disease, and
the introduction of controversial ideas. Many
local authorities mistrusted and persecuted visiting actors, which forced the actors to seek the
protection of powerful nobles. Religious factions
such as the Puritans decried acting as wicked and
tried to outlaw it. In fact, the Puritans succeeded
in closing down the theaters in 1642.
Many of Shakespeare’s plays seem to address
the issue of whether drama is mere entertainment
or a vehicle for showing the truth of human experience. In the eyes of contemporary critic
Alvin B. Kernan:
Shakespeare seems to have constructed
in Dream the “worst case” for theater,
voicing all the attacks on drama being
made in his time and deliberately
showing plays, actors, and audiences at
their worst.
A Midsummer Night’s Dream Study Guide
Copyright © by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
Shakespeare wrote A Midsummer Night’s Dream
toward the beginning of his career. The play
describes the comic misadventures of two pairs of
lovers who become lost in a dark wood and fall
under the power of sprites.
To Shakespeare’s audiences, the play’s title
was a clue that the play might be about romance,
magic, and madness. Midsummer Night was
thought to be one of the nights of the year when
sprites were especially powerful. People also
believed that flowers gathered on Midsummer
Night could work magic and that Midsummer
Night was a time when people dreamed of their
true loves and sometimes went insane.
Shakespeare and other Elizabethan dramatists
based their comedy plots on Classical (ancient
Greek and Roman) models. Often a grumpy old
father blocks the love affair between a young man
and a young woman. Complications and confusions follow, until finally, after some dramatic
reversal, the lovers are united. Setting his first act
in Athens, the birthplace of Western classical literature, Shakespeare follows just such a plot. It is
not long, however, before the play moves to the
woods outside Athens, and into the English concept of Midsummer Night.
This tale of frustrated love and mistaken
identity makes audiences laugh at the ridiculous
ease with which lovers change the object of their
affection, while still believing that their feelings
are completely sincere. However, although it is a
comedy, A Midsummer Night’s Dream also poses
some profound and difficult questions: What is
love? How and why do people fall in and out of
love? How is love related to questions of identity—both of the lover and the beloved? Are
lovers in control of themselves and their destinies? Which is more real, the “daylight” world
of reason and law or the “nighttime” world of
passion and chaos? Shakespeare leaves these
questions for the audience to answer.
A Midsummer Night’s Dream contains a playwithin-a-play, which features comically clumsy writing, poor staging, cheap costumes, and awful acting.
Furthermore, Oberon, the fairy king, can be seen as
a kind of mad director, stage managing the passions
of others for his own amusement or pleasure.
Yet A Midsummer Night’s Dream allows us to
laugh at human nature and observe the interaction
between actors and audience. Pyramus and
Thisbe––the play-within-a-play––may be silly, but it
is funny. A Midsummer Night’s Dream can also be
seen as a tribute to the magic of illusion. After waking from their dream parts in Oberon’s “play,”
Bottom, Lysander, Demetrius, Helena, and Hermia
all express a sense of wonder and bewilderment at
their recent experience.
Copyright © by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
Did You Know?
Shakespeare wrote much of A Midsummer
Night’s Dream, and most of his plays, in a
style called blank verse. This style was fairly
new in the 1500s. Blank verse was first used
in English drama in a play four years before
Shakespeare was born. It follows a flexible
rhythmic pattern consisting of an unstressed
syllable followed by a stressed syllable.
Look, for example, at the lines that
Hippolyta speaks to Theseus in act 1, scene 1:
Four days will quickly steep
themselves in night;
Four nights will quickly dream
away the time;
A Midsummer Night’s Dream Study Guide
Most English verse, or poetry, falls naturally into this pattern. Prose, or ordinary,
everyday language, was also becoming a
popular dramatic writing style, frequently mixed
with blank verse.
In A Midsummer Night’s Dream,
Shakespeare uses different writing styles to
suit different characters. For example, Bottom
and his friends generally speak in prose, which
gives them a simple, rustic quality. For the
speeches of Oberon and Titania, Shakespeare
uses a much more complex form of poetry,
implying the exquisite beauty and magic of the
fairy kingdom.
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Before You Read
A Midsummer Night’s Dream Act 1
FOCUS ACTIVITY
Why do young people in love sometimes experience conflict with their parents?
Map It
What is the best way to resolve a conflict? Create a graphic organizer to show the six steps of problem
solving listed below. Include ideas on how these steps might be applied to the first part of the Focus
Activity.
1. identify the problem
2. determine the importance of the problem
3. identify and discuss options
4. agree on an option
5. act on your decision
6. evaluate your decision
Setting a Purpose
As you read act 1, note what dilemmas Theseus, Hermia, Lysander, and Helena face and how they decide
to solve them.
BACKGROUND
VOCABULARY PREVIEW
austerity [o
^ s ter5ə tē] n. condition of lacking pleasure or luxury
beguile [bi gK̄ l5] v. to trick
cloister [klois5tər] n. place where members of a religious community live
dote [dōt] v. to love with foolish fondness
extenuate [iks ten5ū āt´] v. to lessen the seriousness of
feign [fān] v. to pretend
idolatry [ K̄ dol5ə trē] n. false worship
reveling [rev5əl ing] n. enjoying festivities
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A Midsummer Night’s Dream Study Guide
Copyright © by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
Time and Place
Shakespeare borrowed the characters of Theseus and Hippolyta from Greek mythology. Theseus was the
national hero of Athens. He was a friend of Heracles (Hercules) and the survivor of many adventures,
including his slaying of the Minotaur, a creature half man and half bull. Hippolyta was Queen of the
Amazons, a group of female warriors. Theseus took her prisoner and then married her.
Did You Know?
The Renaissance is the period of European history that began in Italy in the 1300s and spread throughout
Europe over the next two centuries. The word renaissance means “rebirth,” and during the Renaissance
there was a rebirth of interest in art, architecture, and learning based on Classical (ancient Greek and
Roman) sources. Shakespearean scholars believe that Shakespeare read many English translations of works
by Homer, Ovid, Horace, Apuleius, and other classical writers and was deeply influenced by some of them.
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Active Reading
A Midsummer Night’s Dream Act 1
Identify Hermia’s basic dilemma. What are the choices outlined for her by Theseus and her father? What
other choice does Lysander suggest? Outline each option in the flowchart below.
Hermia’s options according to:
Obey him and marry
Demetrius
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Egeus
Theseus
Lysander
A Midsummer Night’s Dream Study Guide
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Responding
A Midsummer Night’s Dream Act 1
Personal Response
How did you feel when you read Helena’s decision to tell Demetrius about Hermia and
Lysander’s plan? Why did you feel this way?
Analyzing Literature
Recall and Interpret
1. Why is Egeus angry with his daughter?
2. Why is Helena envious of Hermia?
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A Midsummer Night’s Dream Study Guide
Copyright © by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
3. How would you describe Bottom’s acting ability? What is Bottom’s own opinion of his
acting ability?
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Responding
A Midsummer Night’s Dream Act 1
Analyzing Literature (continued)
Evaluate and Connect
4. Describe Theseus’s character. What sort of leader does he seem to be?
5. Do you think Egeus is justified in being angry with his daughter? Why or why not?
Literature and Writing
Copyright © by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
Moon Images
Act 1 of A Midsummer Night’s Dream takes place in the daytime, but it contains many images
of the moon that foreshadow the night to come. On a separate sheet of paper, identify the
examples of moon imagery in act 1. Then, in a paragraph or two, analyze and explain the
moods that the images suggest.
Extending Your Response
Literature Groups
The Athenian tradesmen who appear in scene 2 are broadly comic figures. Divide into small
groups, and make a list of comic actors in the television or movie business today who could
best play each part. Include the characteristics or qualities that make each actor perfect for each
part. Share your cast list with the other groups, and take a class vote to decide which actor
would be best cast in each part.
Learning for Life
How do you go about solving your problems or conflicts? Think of a conflict you have experienced in the past week or so. Review the graphic organizer you created in the Focus Activity
on page 12. Then develop a plan for solving your problem by following the steps described in
the graphic organizer. Make a brief outline of your plan on a separate sheet of paper.
Save your work for your portfolio.
A Midsummer Night’s Dream Study Guide
15
Before You Read
A Midsummer Night’s Dream Act 2
FOCUS ACTIVITY
How would you feel if someone you liked suddenly stopped liking you?
Journal
On a separate sheet of paper, jot down some of the feelings and reactions you might have toward someone
whom you felt had stopped liking you.
Setting a Purpose
As you read act 2, follow the ins and outs of the relationships among the various characters.
BACKGROUND
VOCABULARY PREVIEW
dissemble [di sem5bəl] v. to pretend
flout [flout] v. to mock
progeny [proj5ə nē] n. offspring
promontory [prom5ən to
^ r ē] n. peak of land that juts out
wanton [wont5ən] adj. shameless
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A Midsummer Night’s Dream Study Guide
Copyright © by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
Did You Know?
Shakespeare did not create the character of Puck. Puck appears in many earlier works about magic and
witchcraft. In some cases, he is presented as an evil goblin; in others he is merely naughty. Author Robert
Burton (who lived a little later than Shakespeare) describes fire spirits who purposely mislead travelers:
“We commonly call them pucks.” Generally the character of Puck is not malicious, but rather intent on
amusing himself at the expense of others.
Doubling
In A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Shakespeare makes use of a literary technique called doubling to explore
different sides of reality. For example, in act 1 he introduces the “daylight” queen and king, Hippolyta and
Theseus. In act 2 he introduces the nighttime queen and king, Titania and Oberon, who can be seen as
doubles of the first pair. Hermia and Helena are doubles in many ways––best friends who have been
brought up together, and who are both frustrated in love. Even their names sound alike. As characters
there is very little difference between Demetrius and Lysander. Both are simply young men in love. As you
read, pay attention to elements or characters in one part of the play that repeat or reflect elements in
another part.
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Active Reading
A Midsummer Night’s Dream Act 2
As you read act 2, identify images related to night. Write them down on the web below. Add more circles
if you need to.
spangled starlight
(scene 1, line 30)
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night
A Midsummer Night’s Dream Study Guide
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Responding
A Midsummer Night’s Dream Act 2
Personal Response
The sprites speak very poetically. Which image or images presented by the sprites do you
remember the best? What makes the images memorable?
Analyzing Literature
Recall and Interpret
1. Why are Oberon and Titania fighting?
3. By the end of act 2, what is similar about the following pairs: Lysander and Hermia,
Demetrius and Helena, and Oberon and Titania?
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A Midsummer Night’s Dream Study Guide
Copyright © by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
2. How does Oberon intend to blackmail Titania into giving him what he wants?
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Responding
A Midsummer Night’s Dream Act 2
Analyzing Literature (continued)
Evaluate and Connect
4. How would you describe the character of Puck? What kind of mood does he create?
5. How might the magical herb described by Oberon act as a metaphor for the way infatuation operates in real life? Explain.
Literature and Writing
Copyright © by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
Cause and Effect
Write a supernatural weather report. In your own words, describe one or more of the
disastrous weather conditions around the world, such as a recent hurricane or earthquake.
Then explain the cause in detail: the quarrel between Oberon and Titania. Review your
Focus Activity on page 16 for thoughts on lovers’ quarrels. Look into the future, and
explain what has to change between Oberon and Titania for weather conditions to improve.
Extending Your Response
Literature Groups
In act 2, Shakespeare sets up a number of unresolved situations. Identify these situations, and
discuss various possible outcomes for each. Then take turns with other students predicting
what will happen and why. Record your predictions. After finishing the play, return to your
predictions and see how close you were to predicting the actual outcomes.
Sound Performance
In Shakespeare’s time, the staging of plays was fairly simple, because theaters had few
of the technological resources we have today. Productions of Shakespeare have constantly
evolved to reflect the concerns and capabilities of modern producers. In small groups,
imagine that you are in charge of putting together background sound (music, sound effects)
for A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Create a tape of music, electronic noises, or other sounds
that you think would create the appropriate magical effect for act 2. Be as inventive as possible with your sounds. Play your tape for the rest of the class. Have students critique the tape,
discussing what sounds are most effective in creating a magical mood.
Save your work for your portfolio.
A Midsummer Night’s Dream Study Guide
19
Before You Read
A Midsummer Night’s Dream Act 3
FOCUS ACTIVITY
Think of a time when you got so involved in a play or movie that you temporarily forgot that it was not real.
Share Experiences
Talk to other classmates and share examples of experiences when a play or movie made you forget the
division between illusion and reality.
Setting a Purpose
As you read, pay attention to the games Shakespeare plays with illusion and reality.
BACKGROUND
Comedy or Tragedy?
One of the many lines Shakespeare blurs in A Midsummer Night’s Dream is the one between comedy
and tragedy. Bottom’s actors rehearse a play about the legendary lovers Pyramus and Thisbe. The script
and the performances by the mechanics are so silly that the play becomes a sort of slapstick comedy.
Yet it is based on a tragic and rather gruesome story that the Latin poet Ovid retold in his poem
The Metamorphoses.
Perception versus Sight
Seeing is the act of using the eyes to gain physical knowledge about the world. Perceiving is the psychological act of interpreting information received through the eyes and other senses. In act 3, Shakespeare
plays with ideas of vision, of blindness, and of different ways of interpreting what one sees. One of the
things that love, or infatuation, does is to make the lover see the beloved as perfect, no matter what the
actual circumstances. As you read this act, pay special attention to imagery of eyes and seeing. Analyze
what Shakespeare is saying about the nature of perception.
Copyright © by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
VOCABULARY PREVIEW
bequeath [bi kwēth
445] v. to leave to or pass on to, as in a will
chide [chK̄d] v. to scold
derision [di rizh5ən] n. scorn
entreat [en trēt5] v. to beg
rebuke [ri būk5] v. to scold
recompense [rek5əm pens´] n. payment
sojourn [sō5jurn] v. to stay somewhere for a while
spurn [spurn] v. to reject
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A Midsummer Night’s Dream Study Guide
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Active Reading
A Midsummer Night’s Dream Act 3
The climax, or turning point, of A Midsummer Night’s Dream comes at the end of act 3. Describe the
climax in the box at the top of the diagram below. In the other boxes, write the major events leading up
to the climax. Write the events in the correct chronological order. You may add more boxes if you wish.
Copyright © by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
Climax
Titania falls in love with
Bottom.
A Midsummer Night’s Dream Study Guide
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Responding
A Midsummer Night’s Dream Act 3
Personal Response
Some critics see Bottom as a fool. Others think he is wiser than he appears. What is your
opinion of Bottom?
Analyzing Literature
Recall and Interpret
1. How does Bottom become an ass? What is the reason for this strange event?
3. What causes Helena to become angry with Hermia? In your opinion, why does Helena
refuse to believe her friend and her would-be lovers?
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A Midsummer Night’s Dream Study Guide
Copyright © by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
2. What does Oberon realize when he sees Demetrius following Hermia?
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Responding
A Midsummer Night’s Dream Act 3
Analyzing Literature (continued)
Evaluate and Connect
4. In act 3, what emotion does Oberon show he is capable of? How does he show this?
5. Think of characters from television or the movies who are tricksters like Puck. Why
might audiences enjoy watching the antics of such characters?
Copyright © by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
Literature and Writing
Police Report
Imagine that you are a police officer investigating reports of strange occurrences in the
woods outside Athens. You have interviewed all of the participants and are going to write a
report which summarizes the various comings and goings and activities of the persons
involved. Review your notes from the Focus Activity on page 20 on the topics of illusion
and reality. Then write your police report. As a police officer, you are not interested in illusion, poetic details, or complex symbolic explanations. You need to focus on reality. In your
report, address who, what, when, where, and why.
Extending Your Response
Literature Groups
Some of the characters in A Midsummer Night’s Dream are round characters. In other words,
they undergo psychological growth as a result of their experiences. Other characters move
the plot forward but do not undergo any real, inner change. These are flat characters.
With your classmates, categorize the characters in the play as either round or flat. For each
character, identify at least two examples from the text that support your analysis of the
characterization. Then discuss the role of flat characters in a comedy.
Science Connection
Imagine that you, like the Athenian tradesmen in act 3, need to know when the next full
moon will be. Check the newspaper, an almanac, or the Internet for information on the
phases of the moon. Then create a chart showing what the moon will look like for each
night of the coming month. Display your chart in class.
Save your work for your portfolio.
A Midsummer Night’s Dream Study Guide
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Before You Read
A Midsummer Night’s Dream Act 4
FOCUS ACTIVITY
Think of a movie or book in which characters have an unusual experience that makes them shake their
heads and ask, “Did that really happen?”
Dream List
Working in a small group, list stories, novels, movies, and television shows in which a character has an
amazing experience and then wakes up to realize it was just a dream. Then compare your lists with the
ones compiled by other groups.
Setting a Purpose
As you read, note the characters who explain their behavior by saying they were dreaming or under a spell.
BACKGROUND
Did You Know?
A curious feature of A Midsummer Night’s Dream is the casual way in which Shakespeare mixes his
settings. Whereas some of his fairies are beings from Celtic and Anglo-Saxon folklore, and the flowers and
seasons he describes belong to the English countryside, Theseus and Hippolyta inhabit the world of
ancient Greece. In this act, the royal lovers refer to Sparta, an ancient Greek city; Thessaly, a region of
Greece; and Crete, a Greek island. Then, amusingly, Theseus mentions St. Valentine, a Christian martyr
who lived and died long after the era in which Theseus would have lived.
Falling Action
After the climax, or turning point, of a drama has been reached, most of the suspense is over. The highest
emotional peak has been reached, and the major conflict has been encountered. Still, the audience likes
to see all of the loose ends tied up. That occurs during the part of the plot known as the falling action. In
A Midsummer Night’s Dream, the falling action mostly takes place in act 4.
Copyright © by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
VOCABULARY PREVIEW
discourse [dis5ko
^ rs] n. conversation
enmity [en5mə tē] n. hostility
paragon [par5ə gon´] n. model of perfection
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A Midsummer Night’s Dream Study Guide
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Active Reading
A Midsummer Night’s Dream Act 4
In this act, a number of characters wake up. Complete the diagram below. In each box, write the name of
a character who wakes up in act 4. Then, in the space beside the box, summarize that character’s reaction
to what happened during the night.
Reaction
Titania
disgust and disbelief at having loved Bottom
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Character
A Midsummer Night’s Dream Study Guide
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Responding
A Midsummer Night’s Dream Act 4
Personal Response
Compare this act to the previous one. In which act did the majority of the characters enjoy
themselves most? Which act did you enjoy more? Explain.
Analyzing Literature
Recall and Interpret
1. How does Titania respond when Oberon asks for the fairy child this time? What does
this reveal about the strength of the love potion?
3. How does Theseus’s current decision regarding Hermia and Lysander contradict his
earlier statement?
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Copyright © by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
2. How do most of the dreamers respond to the dream experience upon waking? Which
character is changed permanently by the dream experience?
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Responding
A Midsummer Night’s Dream Act 4
Analyzing Literature (continued)
Evaluate and Connect
4. The fourth act opens and ends with Bottom at center stage. What is your opinion of
Bottom’s character? How might he be the antithesis, or opposite, of Theseus’s character?
5. In this act, several characters look back at prior infatuations with disbelief. What do you
think Shakespeare is saying about love and infatuation?
Literature and Writing
Copyright © by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
Writing a Letter
When Bottom is reunited with his friends, they press him for details of what happened, but
he is unable to tell them much. Imagine that later Bottom calms down enough to relate his
amazing experiences. Write a letter from Bottom to his friends telling about his transformation into an ass, his meeting with the fairies, and his love affair with Titania. Try to write as
Bottom would (misusing long words, for example).
Extending Your Response
Literature Groups
Discuss Bottom’s reaction when he rejoins his friends. Why does he tell them so little about
his experience? Do you think he is simply unwilling to do so, or is he simply unable to
express himself clearly? Give reasons for your answer. Review the Focus Activity on page 24
about dream experiences. Then describe times when you or others have had an experience
that others couldn’t or wouldn’t understand.
Music Connection
Bottom decides to commission Peter Quince to write a ballad called “Bottom’s Dream.” In
small groups, imagine that you have been asked to compose the musical accompaniment.
Remember that at the beginning of act 4, Bottom told the fairies that he likes to listen to
the “tongs and bones” (act 4, scene 1, line 30). Tongs were pieces of metal struck against
each other and bones were actual bones. These instruments were used in comical or in less
sophisticated musical performances. In your performance, use silly-sounding instruments such
as musical saws, kazoos, pots and pans, and anything else you can make out of ordinary
household or classroom items.
Save your work for your portfolio.
A Midsummer Night’s Dream Study Guide
27
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Before You Read
A Midsummer Night’s Dream Act 5
FOCUS ACTIVITY
Have you ever seen a live performance that was so badly presented it was entertaining?
Two-way Traffic
A live theatrical performance is a two-way relationship between the performers and the audience. Make a
list of ways in which the performers affect the audience. Then, next to that list, jot down typical audience
reactions to the performance.
Setting a Purpose
Pay attention to how Theseus, Hippolyta, and the other members of the audience react to the performance
of Pyramus and Thisbe.
BACKGROUND
VOCABULARY PREVIEW
amends [ə mends5] n. something done to make up for a fault or mistake
audacious [o
^ dā5shəs] adj. bold
gait [gāt] n. manner of walking
premeditated [prē med5i tāt əd] adj. planned
reprehend [rep´ri hend5] v. to find fault with
satire [sat5K̄r] n. literary work exposing human vices and shortcomings to ridicule and scorn
transfigure [trans fig5yər] v. to change
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A Midsummer Night’s Dream Study Guide
Copyright © by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
Did You Know?
For wealthy Elizabethans, entertainment was something quite different from today’s CD/video/television
center. Elizabethans, poor and rich, watched live entertainment. Nobles and members of the royalty could
afford to have performers come to their homes. Sometimes they watched knights jousting in courtyards or
tennis players competing in special indoor rooms. Often they watched theater. Every year, one of
England’s great theater companies would be chosen to appear at the court of Queen Elizabeth I. The
Queen’s Master of the Revels (like Theseus’s Master of the Revels, Philostrate) would watch a number of
performances and pick the best. Then no expense was spared for the final production. Workers painted
elaborate sets and made costumes out of silk and velvet.
Shakespeare’s Relevance
Shakespeare writes about kings and queens, fairies, magic spells, and ancient Athens. Yet he is such a keen
observer of human psychology that his characters and themes still speak to today’s audiences. For example,
in the characters of the star-crossed lovers, Shakespeare skillfully illustrates the feelings and actions experienced by two people who are infatuated with each other. At the same time, he shows how silly and
ridiculous those actions may seem to someone who does not share these feelings. He sums up the attitude
of the outside observer in the often-quoted words of Puck, “what fools these mortals be!” (act 3, scene 2,
line 115). These are all feelings that we can relate to today.
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Active Reading
A Midsummer Night’s Dream Act 5
Shakespeare uses a number of different techniques to create humor in the play-within-a-play. Use the
graphic organizer below to indicate examples of some of his comic devices.
ridiculous metaphor
lily lips (line 347)
excessive alliteration
breaking the play’s illusion of reality
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using the wrong word or name
repeating a word excessively
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Responding
A Midsummer Night’s Dream Act 5
Personal Response
Did the play-within-a-play make you laugh? Look back at your response to the Focus
Activity on page 28 to help you explain your answer. Make a list of some of the more
humorous lines in the play performed by Bottom and his actors.
Analyzing Literature
Recall and Interpret
1. What does Theseus think of the lovers’ adventure? Is this a reaction you would expect
from Theseus?
3. Why does Snug, who plays the Lion, make a fuss about proclaiming his true identity?
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A Midsummer Night’s Dream Study Guide
Copyright © by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
2. Why does Hippolyta initially seem hesitant to watch the play?
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Responding
A Midsummer Night’s Dream Act 5
Analyzing Literature (continued)
Evaluate and Connect
4. In reading the play-within-a-play, we become the audience for the drama played out by
Theseus, Hippolyta, and the others. These performers, in turn, form the audience for the
reenactment of Pyramus and Thisbe. How does observing another audience help you
understand the relationship between audience and performers?
5. Modern television shows often create comic effects by having a silly, innocent, or
“clueless” character and a sarcastic, knowing, clever character play off of each other.
What examples can you think of?
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Literature and Writing
Hippolyta’s Response
Hippolyta is rather embarrassed at times by how the audience makes fun of the players. At
other times she joins in the fun. Imagine yourself as Hippolyta. Write a brief explanation of
why the show was so ridiculous and why you eventually came to enjoy yourself.
Extending Your Response
Literature Groups
In your group, identify ways in which Pyramus and Thisbe might be unsuitable for a wedding
celebration. Are there any ways in which the play might be appropriate? In what ways is the
play-within-a-play an ironic commentary on what the two pairs of young lovers (Demetrius
and Helena, Lysander and Hermia) have gone through earlier?
Performing
Cast the play-within-a-play and perform it in the classroom. Costumes and sets are not
necessary, but make sure you follow the stage directions, both stated and implied. If possible,
videotape the performance.
Save your work for your portfolio.
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Responding
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Personal Response
After reading and studying this play, would you watch a performance of it? Why or why not?
How do you think watching A Midsummer Night’s Dream would change your response to the
play?
In A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Shakespeare analyzes the role of imagination in love and in
art. He shows the dangers of an overactive imagination and the joy of seeing beyond the
everyday world. On a separate sheet of paper, write a brief essay about the benefits and drawbacks of an active human imagination. Draw examples and quotations from the play.
Save your work for your portfolio.
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A Midsummer Night’s Dream Study Guide
Copyright © by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
Writing About the Play
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Comedy
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Christopher Fry
Before You Read
Focus Question
What are some things that make you laugh? Do you ever wonder why sometimes things that were not
intended to be humorous seem funny?
Background
In A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Shakespeare turns what might have been a tragedy into a comedy.
Christopher Fry’s article, which appeared in Vogue magazine, reflects on the nature of comedy and laughter and their relation to the big picture of life.
Responding to the Reading
1. What do you suppose Fry means when he says that “Comedy is an escape, not from truth but from
despair”?
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2. Do you think that laughter is a way to deal with the tragedies we experience in life? Explain.
3. Making Connections In creating characters for a comedy, Fry says, “If the characters were not qualified for tragedy there would be no comedy.” How might this statement apply to the characters of
Helena, Lysander, Hermia, and Demetrius in A Midsummer Night’s Dream?
Literature Groups
Within your group, have each person identify some lines or scenes in A Midsummer Night’s Dream that
seem funny. Discuss why you think they are funny. What characteristics or events seem to make people
laugh the most? Do your opinions seem to fit in with Fry’s description of comedy?
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Forget the Footnotes!
And Other Advice Norrie Epstein
Before You Read
Focus Question
Have you ever listened to a language you don’t speak and yet felt that you understood?
Background
Norrie Epstein teaches literature at the University of California. In an effort to make Shakespeare more
accessible, she wrote a book called The Friendly Shakespeare: A Thoroughly Painless Guide to the Best of the
Bard. The following selection draws on advice from different experts on how to understand and enjoy
Shakespeare.
Responding to the Reading
1. What do the experts have to say about understanding Shakespeare?
2. Whose advice makes the most sense to you? Explain your choice.
Expert Advice
Having read one of Shakespeare’s comedies, imagine that you are a Shakespearean expert and Norrie
Epstein has asked you to contribute to her book. Write a few lines of advice to a Shakespearean novice
on what you think is the best way to approach Shakespeare’s plays.
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A Midsummer Night’s Dream Study Guide
Copyright © by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
3. Making Connections In your opinion, would it be better to see or read A Midsummer Night’s Dream?
Justify your answer.
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Based on an Original Idea by
William Shakespeare Victoria McKee
Before You Read
Focus Question
Do you like remakes of movies and songs? Or is it best to stick with originals, in your opinion?
Background
This newspaper article was written by Victoria McKee. McKee covers a range of modern film adaptations
of Shakespeare’s plays.
Responding to the Reading
1. Why do you suppose actors are willing to accept a lower fee for the opportunity to play a
Shakespearean role?
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2. How do big-name actors attract people who would otherwise not read or see any of Shakespeare’s
plays?
3. Making Connections In terms of modernizing Shakespeare, with whose approach do you agree,
Branagh’s or McKellen’s?
Create Your Own Production
Working with others in your literature group, choose a scene from A Midsummer Night’s Dream to perform
in front of the class. You may choose either to keep the original scene, or to update it, using language and
scenarios you and your friends encounter everyday. Before performing, present to the class your reason for
keeping the original or for updating the scene. Have the other groups in the class rate your performance.
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Allow Puck to Introduce
Kids to Will
Lynne Heffley
Before You Read
Focus Question
What is the most impressive costume you’ve ever seen?
Background
Lynne Heffley interviews artistic director Lisa Wolpe about the adaptation of A Midsummer Night’s Dream
by the Los Angeles Women’s Shakespeare Company.
Responding to the Reading
1. How might a contemporary setting, as Wolfe says, make the play more accessible?
2. What elements of the adaptation make it contemporary?
Costume Design
With a partner, create costume representations for at least two of the characters in the play. Leaf through
fashion magazines for inspiration, or look in the fine arts section of your library. You may even draw ideas from
other cultural traditions to create your designs. The main idea is to keep the costume true to the character.
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A Midsummer Night’s Dream Study Guide
Copyright © by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
3. Making Connections Do you agree with Lisa Wolpe that New York City makes a good setting for a
modern Midsummer Night’s Dream? Why or why not?
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How the Bard Won the West
Jennifer Lee Carrell
Before You Read
Focus Question
Why are some people comfortable in front of an audience while others are not?
Background
Jennifer Lee Carrell, a Shakespearean scholar from Harvard, takes a trip out West and discovers just how
popular the playwright was among cowboys and miners.
Responding to the Reading
1. What might a man like Jim Bridger have in common with Shakespeare?
2. How would you describe the Western approach to Shakespeare?
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3. How important was the audience to Western theater in the nineteenth century?
4. What do you suppose Lawrence Levine means when he suggests that “When Shakespeare stopped
being story and began to be art, it began to seem distant”?
5. Making Connections How do you think Shakespeare would have reacted to a nineteenth-century
Western audience?
Speaking and Listening
With a partner, choose a favorite scene from the play and read it silently to yourselves. Then take turns
reading it aloud to your partner, ad-libbing if you want, and adding gestures and different voice intonations. Discuss with your partner the differences between reading it silently and reading it aloud. Which
action involves more people? Which requires more participation?
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TEST: A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Recall and Interpret (40 points total; 5 points each)
Write the letter of the best answer.
1. At the beginning of the play, Egeus wants his daughter to marry
a. Demetrius.
c. Lysander.
b. Theseus.
d. Pyramus.
2. Hermia’s plan of running away is foiled by
a. Demetrius.
b. Hippolyta.
c. Helena.
d. Titania.
3. Bottom and his friends are planning to perform a play to celebrate the wedding of
a. Demetrius and Hermia.
c. Titania and Oberon.
b. Theseus and Hippolyta.
d. Demetrius and Helena.
4. Oberon’s motive for telling Puck to put the special flower juice on Demetrius’s eyelids is
a. revenge against Lysander.
c. revenge against Titania.
b. pity for Hermia.
d. pity for Helena.
5. Bottom’s friends are frightened away from the forest when they see
a. Bottom with an ass’s head.
c. Oberon with his page boy.
b. Puck.
d. Demetrius and Lysander fighting.
6. When both Demetrius and Lysander profess their love for her, Helena feels
a. relieved.
c. ridiculed.
b. proud.
d. amused.
8. Oberon and the fairies come to the palace to
a. search for the page boy.
b. bless the marriage beds.
c. play tricks on the couples.
d. watch the play.
Evaluate and Connect (60 points total; 30 points each)
Answer two of the following essay questions on a separate sheet of paper.
1. A Midsummer Night’s Dream takes place in two different settings. Identify and contrast those settings.
How do the differences in settings relate to the play’s theme?
2. This play is a comedy, but it has many dark elements. What are some of the unpleasant, serious, or
potentially tragic elements in this play? How does Shakespeare transform them into comedy?
3. Much of A Midsummer Night’s Dream is about seeing and blindness. What are some of the symbols of
vision and blindness that Shakespeare uses? How do they relate to the play’s overall theme?
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Test
A Midsummer Night’s Dream Study Guide
Copyright © by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
7. The audience at the performance of Pyramus and Thisbe is
a. offended.
c. impressed.
b. frightened.
d. amused.